Man Charged In Connection With Death

WAPAKONETA — An Indiana man has been charged in connection with a death at a trailer park last year.

In a news release, Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon released details concerning an update on the investigation of a mobile home fire, which occurred at the Lakeside Estates Mobile Home Park on Wapak Fisher Road just east of Wapakoneta. The fire was reported on May 4, 2011, at approximately 11:20 p.m. Upon the arrival of St. Johns Fire Department personnel, Jeffrey A. Aldrich, 53, was found inside the mobile home. Aldrich was transported to Lima Memorial Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The investigation into the cause of the fire involved the sheriff’s office, Ohio State Fire Marshal, and the Grand Lake Drug Task Force. Based upon information developed and evidence collected at the scene, a suspect has been charged in the death of Aldrich. Robby B. Barnett, 52, of Peru, Ind. has been indicted by the Auglaize County grand jury on one count of involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony, one count of the illegal manufacture of drugs, a second-degree felony, and one count of the illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs, a third-degree felony. Barnett is currently in custody at the Auglaize County Corrections Center.

According to online court documents, Barnett was ordered held on a $400,000 bond with a 10 percent cash provision. If convicted on the charges, he faces a maximum of 23 years in prison.